RISE is “a daring and important new musical” (Broadway World) about a group of Jewish women resistance fighters during the Holocaust who wage an uprising against the Nazi regime. RISE is based on the true stories of the Kashariyot, or couriers: courageous young Jewish girls who disguise themselves as Aryan and travel through Nazi territory smuggling food, messages, and weapons to the underground resistance movement throughout occupied Europe. In the depths of the Holocaust, it was a group of teenage girls who fed and armed the scrappy and starving bands of Jewish warriors who dared to fight back.
RISE is their story.
The music of RISE ignites the stage with furious electric guitar-driven rock, utilizing the ultimate music of rebellion to showcase the ultimate acts of resistance. The band is on stage and a working part of the cast. According to Broadway World, “the score for ‘Rise' is superb, fluctuating from somber acoustic guitar ballads to catchy rock anthems evocative of The White Stripes. The edgy punk rock vibe of these songs is the perfect backdrop for a story about resistance and fighting back against the forces of evil, and the show bounces with ease between these heavier upbeat songs to the soaring vocal numbers."
Listen to our song "Welcome to the Couriers"
RISE is the winner of the Bela Zarhi Prize from the Ghetto Fighters’ House in Israel and the Fund for the Heritage of Polish Jewry. It was a finalist for the Eugene O’Neill NMTC, and was workshopped and showcased by the Alliance for Jewish Theatre.
The debut development production of RISE ran for three weeks in Rochester, New York in 2022 to sold-out 300-seat audiences. It was followed by a sell-out performance at a 500-seat venue in Syracuse, New York. Following the outbreak of war in Israel on October 7th, RISE was staged in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, under missile fire, in an improvised venue that doubled as a bomb shelter, to a sold-out crowd that came out to see the show in the midst of an active war.
We have worked in collaboration with the Jewish Federation of Central New York, StandWithUs, the Israeli American Council, and Hillel, and we just wrapped a sold-out performance at the Holocaust Museum LA.
Upcoming performances include JW3 in London, and the Cameri Theatre in Tel Aviv.
Tammy Marshall, NY
"Someone should let Broadway know that the best new show since Hamilton just premiered in Rochester, NY. One of the most powerful shows I have ever seen on a stage!"
Anna Morrison Markowitz, NY
"One of the most incredible shows I've seen in years... The score screams of rebellion... You'll be living with these characters and singing these songs long after the curtain falls."
Jessica Ann Best, Mezzo-Soprano, Artistic Director, NY
"One of the most significant musicals of our time. RISE is the story that needs to be told. It is sophisticated and personal, with haunting and beautiful melodies that you will go home singing. A powerful moment in theatre that needs to be seen and heard.”
RISE is written and composed by American/Canadian/Israeli creator Joshua Daniel Hershfield. He studied at Berklee College of Music, Antioch College, the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, and is a graduate of the MA in Holocaust Studies program at Haifa University where he was an Azrieli Foundation Scholar.
PRODUCTION HISTORY
2021 - Workshopped and showcased by the Alliance for Jewish Theatre
2022 July - Full development production in Rochester, NY with CenterStage Theatre
2023 August - Transfer of Rochester production to Syracuse, NY
2023 November - Staged reading in Tel Aviv, Israel with Udi Gottschalk
2023 December - Staged reading in Jerusalem, Israel with Theatre and Theology
2024 May - Salon performance at the Israeli American Council, in partnership with StandWithUs Holocaust Education Centre
2024 May - Staged Reading at Hillel UCSB
2024 December - Salon performance at the Holocaust Museum LA
2025 March - Concert reading at JW3 Theatre, London
2025 Upcoming - Full production in Tel Aviv with Udi Gottschalk